Monday, October 22, 2012

Be A Halloweenie (Repost)

Here is a repost from Saturday,
October 22, 2011 - Hope you enjoy!

Be A Halloweenie!

Costume parties, school parades, church trunk or treating,
neighborhood trick or treating, boo'ing with your neighbors, classroom parties,
bonfires in the backyard and so much more.

All of this is so much fun! Right? (insert googly eyes
here)

Well, for the kids maybe. For the parents suffering from Halloween over-load, I get it. I feel it too.
The one-day-a-year holiday has now morphed into weeks of festivities. Everyone
wants to be able to provide a young child with a magical memory to last a
lifetime.

To me as a parent, it is
like living in Halloween 7, except Michael Meyers is now best friends with
Martha Stewart and Willy Wonka. And they live next door. And hold seats on the
PTA. But I digress...

Sooooo, how do
we deal with it?

We dive directly
into the fray. The girl's enjoy the activities from costume selection
to savoring all of the junk food. We count carbs, dose more insulin than we
ever thought possible and go to bed early at night, preparing for even more fun
the next day.

Yes, with type 1
diabetes.

I've seen quite a bit
floating around in blog land about ways to stop your child with type 1 diabetes
from participating in enjoying the holidays, especially Halloween.

As a reminder, "kids first, diabetes
second." This means that you have permission to let your children participate
in the fun. Revel in it, brag about it and fall to sleep dreaming of the
goodness of Halloween overload.

The
years of childhood are few and precious. It seems that in a blink, our children
are grown and no longer want to participate in family oriented events. My
advice is to enjoy this time. Try not to fret about candy or donuts or cider.
Count up the funsized candy bars with your kids and make a pile of the gross
pieces that have wrappers missing. Laugh about the house that gave out
toothpaste. Take a taste of one treat or even five. Talk to your kids about
their favorites and enjoy watching them savor a bite. Give a high five to your
kids for scoring a full-sized candy bar. And take turns teasing daddy as his
belly swells from the laffy taffy.

Carbs will be counted, insulin will be given and in a few
weeks, the leftover candy can safely be disposed of...

If Michael, Martha or Willy happens to also live in your
neighborhood, may I suggest a care package to them? They will undoubtedly love
it!

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About The Author

I am a wife, mother and full- time acting pancreas for two beautiful little girls. I enjoy antique and thrift shopping, decorating, staying connected with friends and learning all there is to know about Type 1 Diabetes.

Website Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a doctor and I do not have medical training. I do not have Type 1 Diabetes nor does my husband. I am a mother to two daughters who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

The purpose of this site is to help families dealing with Type 1 Diabetes to have a place to come together to share stories about Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is challenging both physically and emotionally and a little support goes a long way. Naturally Sweet Sisters offers me, as a parent, a way to connect with other families living with Type 1 Diabetes and an outlet through which to share my own experiences. The information provided on Naturally Sweet Sisters is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional.